Many neurological illnesses are caused by autoimmune reactions, toxins, and/or interfering chemistries to nervous tissue and neurological signaling chemistries and their receptors. Many of the sources of the harmful chemistries come from bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Some examples of such conditions are autism spectrum disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, dyslexia, memory loss, ataxia, multiple sclerosis, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, tremor, depression, anxiety, mood swings, schizophrenia, Alzheimer' s Disease, and Celiac Disease (later referred to as “neurological conditions and diseases”). Autism Spectrum Disorder describes a constellation of symptoms such as persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, restricted or repetitive behavioral patterns, and significant impairments in social and occupational areas of functioning. Those deficits typically show up in the first three years of life. Dyslexia causes confusion in the ordering of letters while reading text. Researchers have reported treating dyslexia due to Lyme disease infection with the antibiotic cefotaxime (see an article entitled “Carbamazepine in the Treatment of Lyme Disease-Induced Hyperacusis” by J. A. Nields et. al. in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences Vol 11, Iss. 1: 97-99, February 1999). Multiple Sclerosis has been shown to be associated with gut bacteria producing chemistries that cause cross-reactions to myelin (see an article entitled “Molecular mimicry revisited: gut bacteria and multiple sclerosis” by F. C. Westall. in The Journal of Clinical Microbiology Vol 44, Iss. 6: 2099-2104, June 2006). Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are caused by autoimmune reactions to the hormonal system responsible for appetite control and mood (see an article entitled “Autoantibodies against neuropeptides are associated with psychological traits in eating disorders” by S. O. Fetissov et. al. in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102, Iss. 41: 14865-14870, Oct. 11, 2005). Many reports have indicated that gut bacteria can cause depression, anxiety, and mood swings. Celiac Disease is caused by immune or hormonal reactions to certain subcomponents of the gluten molecule, some of which harm the nervous system.
Researchers have reported that microbial activities and compositions in the gut affect the nervous system. The researchers mentioned that a bacteria species called Alistipes from the phylum Bacteriodes is abnormally more plentiful in people with depression. Researchers have also reported abnormalities in the gut bacteria in mood disorders (for example, depression, anxiety and mood swings) may communicate with the brain via the vagus nerve. They also report that toxins produced by gut bacteria are believed to enter the bloodstream and cross through the blood-brain barrier (see an article entitled “Psychobiotics and the gut-brain axis: in the pursuit of happiness” by L. Zhou et. al. in Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 2015:11 715-723).
Present treatments for neurological conditions and diseases have primarily included the use of drugs. Some drugs used are chemicals that interact with the serotonin system in the brain. For example, in mood disorders such as depression and anxiety and/or eating disorders, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors SRIs can be prescribed. A problem with these approaches is that they come with serious side-effects and more importantly, since certain neurological conditions and diseases are caused by a neurotoxin and/or autoimmune reaction, the aforementioned drugs do not address the root cause of the problem, namely, a toxic response of or an immune reaction to the nervous system and its chemistries.
Studies have shown that certain probiotics, safe bacteria that confer benefit to a host, can improve neurological behavior in autism, anxiety, and memory. For example, a patent has been granted for its use in autoimmune obsessive compulsive disorder (see U.S. Pat. No. 8,927,242 entitled “Treatment and prophylaxis for obsessive compulsive disorder”). Researchers have found that probiotics can improve memory in rats (see an article called “Probiotic Mixture KF Attentuates Age-Dependent Memory Deficit and Lipidemia in Fischer 344 Rats” by Jeong et. al. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. (2015), 25(9), 1532-1536)